listan, the ancient empires of Bactria, Delhi, and Samarcand, the cold table-lands of Tibet, of Khotan, and of Kashgar, up to the ancient Seres and Paropamisadae."

Further, the same writer, after describing the immense variety of climate that occurs within this limited space, adds:

"From the extremity of these table-lands, especially on the south-east and north-east, south-west and north-west, there issue several separate mountain-chains, not connected with one another, but which form more or less a part of the table-lands themselves.

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"The valleys, which are produced by this indentation on the borders of the table-lands, offer peculiar advantages for the progress of civilization. For, as we have already observed, the highland of Asia does not sink on one side only, but on all sides and towards every point of the compass; it also sinks towards different oceans, which are separated from the highland by